for a love of serpents 

we eat all the apples in the cupboard
then go out into the future to find more.
devouring until our skin is mesh 
& wire. the god of ice picks stands.
he glares holes through our bedroom walls.
i was always the eve of this union. i put on
your leash & walked you to where 
the comets collect like dead tennis balls.
we were not trying to be good though. we were 
trying to be satisfied. honey came
from all the faucets & we got sick 
on the stems & leaves. i did not tell you
there was a snake. then, i did not tell you
i was the snake. shedding my life 
in sleeves. closet of skins. apple peels.
the garden of flourescent signs.
open. open. here. here. here. here.
snakes in the fridge & snakes in the mirror.
my love there are apples though.
enough apples for arsenic poisoning. enough
seeds to give the moon her spider eyes.
i never wanted to be the leader of
our brilliant downfall. but, my love, 
was this a downfall? instead i think maybe
we didn't want to be nude. i think we wanted
to be naked. your skin a headlight machine.
my skin, the snake's nest. let's not weep
& pretend we liked the sound of orange 
every single night. you wanted fire.
you wanted my teeth. you wanted 
me to show you the serpent. speak with me
in my doubled tongue. we have escaped.